1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to information broadcasting method, information broadcasting system, and receiving apparatus for transmitting advertising and publicity information by using a digital broadcasting and, further, transmitting data other than programs through a digital broadcasting which can electronically exchange personal data such as a face image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a digital broadcasting for transmitting multimedia data such as image signal, audio signal, etc. by using a communicating satellite has being put into practical use. The invention intends to multiplex advertising information to program information in the digital broadcasting. First, an outline of a typical digital broadcasting system will now be described with reference to FIG. 1. The side of transmitting programs is constructed by an up-link station 2, a program provider 1, and management systems 6, 7, and 8.
Video/audio data from the program provider 1 is supplied to an encoder multiplexer 3 of MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) 2 of the up-link station 2. In the MPEG2 encoder multiplexer 3, the video/audio data is compressed and the compressed video/audio data is packaged into a packet of a length of 188 bytes. Packets of video/audio data corresponding to a plurality of programs are multiplexed and a transport packet of MPEG2 is formed. A transport stream is formed by a series of transport packets. The number of transport streams corresponds to the number of transponders installed in the communicating satellite.
The MPEG2 transport stream is supplied to a transmitting system 4. In the transmitting system 4, processes such as scrambling process of each packet, error correction encoding of each packet, and modulation, and the like are executed and a modulation output is supplied to a transmitting antenna 5. The scrambling process is necessary to realize a conditional access which is used to control permission or inhibition of a monitor of each viewer. For example, it is possible to make a contract of PPV (Pay Per View) such that only a certain program is monitored each time in a toll. A key to descramble the scramble is supplied from the key management system 6 to the MPEG2 encoder multiplexer 3 and is inserted as one of the packets into the transport stream in a manner similar to video/audio information.
A systematizing management of the MPEG2 packets is performed by the program management system 7. The program management system 7 and key management system 6 are unified and encipher the key to descramble the scramble. Further, the customer management system 8 is provided and items regarding a viewer contract or the like are managed. Viewer information is transmitted to'the viewer through a telephone line 9.
A broadcasting radio wave is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 5 and is received by a receiving antenna of each home through a communicating satellite 10. A receiver 12 is connected to the receiving antenna 11. The receiver 12 is constructed by: a tuner for designating a receiving transponder; a demodulating unit; a descrambling unit for descrambling the scramble; a demultiplexer for designating a packet to be separated; a video decoding unit; an audio decoding unit; and the like. The decoded video/audio signals are supplied to a television receiver 13.
The key to descramble the scramble is enciphered and transmitted as related information together with video and audio data. The key to decipher the encryption has been stored in an IC card 14 inserted in the receiver 12. The scramble of which program can be descrambled can be controlled from the transmitting side on the basis of contract information of each reception system. The receiver having the conditional accessing function is usually called an IRD (Integrated Receiver/Decoder).
The foregoing digital satellite broadcasting system is not limited to only the monitor of a television broadcasting but can be also used as a transmitting system of a large quantity of digital data due to many channels. That is, the receiver of the digital satellite broadcasting has a function serving as an acceptor of digital data such that contract information or the like concerning the program or viewer, data for a personal computer, or the like other than the video audio data is multiplexed thereto and the resultant data is transmitted.
For example, in one broadcasting in the present satellite broadcasting system, a content description EIT (Event Information Table) of programs which are at present being broadcasted or will be broadcasted in future, an EPG (Electric Program Guides), contract information (Entitlement Control Message) including a monitor fee and a monitor age limitation, and the like are transmitted together with the video/audio data. Specifically speaking, the information such as monitor fee, monitor age limitation, and the like is broadcasted together with program information as common information (ECM: Entitlement Control Message) that is common to receiving terminals.
An ID which is peculiar to a receiving terminal is allocated and individual information (EMM: Entitlement Management Message) that is formed on the transmitting side for the viewer and is individual to the terminal is sent. At the terminal, on the receiving side, the EMM of the same ID as the own ID is decoded and a work key is loaded into the IC card. A key to decode the EMM has previously been stored in the IC card of each receiving terminal. When the program is monitored, the ECM annexed to the program is loaded into the IC card. If the work key corresponding to the program has preliminarily been stored, the descramble is performed and the program can be monitored. As mentioned above, the PPV is enabled. By instructing an up-loading of a monitor history of PPV programs from the individual terminal or providing a modem into the terminal, a purchase request for a shopping program or an answer to a questionnaire can be performed.
In the conventional digital satellite broadcasting system as mentioned above, however, by multiplexing the information concerning the program and broadcasting, an additional value of the program can be further raised or the operation can be simplified, but video/audio data of advertising/publicity information which is so called a CM (Commercial Message) that is inserted in the program is merely transmitted as a part of the program. There is, consequently, a problem such that advertising and publicity information is transmitted to the viewer irrespective of goods or services as targets of the advertising and publicity information or goods are forcedly advertised irrespective of a will of each viewer as a receiver.
In the case where the viewer has an interest in goods by watching a CM and wants to get further detailed information or the like, since there is only a method of accessing to the telephone number displayed on the screen through a telephone line, there is a problem such that the detailed information of the goods cannot be easily and promptly obtained.
Further, as an enterprise serving as a side of providing a CM, even in the case where the enterprise wants to know a monitor history, audience ratings, and the like of each CM or the like, there is a problem such that the enterprise can know the information as only monitor history and audience ratings as one program which is collected on the broadcasting station side.
A photographing/outputting apparatus which can print a face image photographed by a camera as a seal has appeared and is becoming popular. A terminology of “print club” is also popular. More specifically explaining, an image obtained by photographing one or a few persons is printed onto one seal paper as divisional images (for example, size of 3 cm×2 cm). The photographs obtained as mentioned above are not limited to a personal use but are provided as an application such that they are handed to friends or exchanged.
According to the existing photographing/outputting apparatus, the number of seals which are obtained by one photographing is limited and the seals are used as an application such that they are handed to the friends or are mailed. Therefore, a range where the seals are exchanged is limited.